The Hundred-Towered City (reviewed for writeaway.og.uk)

Author: Garry Kilworth

Genre: Science Fiction, Adventure

Age Range: 10+

Theme/Subject: alchemy, time-travel, folklore, Prague, history

Publisher: Atom

ISBN: 9781905654031

Summary:

Magic….Mystery….Monsters…That’s what awaits Jack, Annie and Davey when they are transported back in time to the gothic city of Prague, to search for their missing parents. Trying to avoid capture by the secret police, they find themselves running through dark and dangerous cobbled streets and meeting some very shady characters.

Review:

Within twenty pages Garry Kilworth has already whizzed us back in time to the tenebrific and narrow streets of Prague, 1903. The Kettle family’s father is an eccentric inventor whose latest Verne-esque masterpiece is a part motorbike – part wrist-watch time-travelling machine. Kate Kettle, the mother of the family, wishes to trace her roots back to early 1900s Prague, where she hopes to meet her ancestors. Unfortunately, the Golden City was very different a century ago – it is a place crammed with alchemists, secret police and a host of folkloric beasts, among which are water-ghouls, fire sprites and the unstoppable Golem. It falls upon the Kettle children to follow their parents back in time and break them free from Castle Karlstein and the clutches of the evil Weasel.

When it comes to exploring this story, I find high-adventure to be an understatement. Within the 300 odd pages, Kilworth crams in a healthy dollop of thrill-power, surprise, suspense and trickery. And yet the author doesn’t just want to share an exciting story with you, he also wants you to absorb the folklore and history of this Golden City. With an incisive eye, Kilworth immerses you in Prague’s past at a time when modernisation and economics are beginning to suffocate the world of magic and folklore. The Prague that Kilworth shares with us is one where at the turn of a corner, you are greeted by the secret police and the military and yet at the following corner you’re greeted with ravenous water-ghouls, waiting to feast upon your soul.

When the children arrive in Prague they are soon separated and undergo different challenges where they must prove themselves worthy, to the author and reader, of achieving their final goal. Although I enjoyed the banter between the siblings when they were together, I preferred their own quests as it allowed Kilworth to show us far more of early 20^th century Prague, which he is clearly very eager to do.

Make no mistake though, this story is no history lesson. It is the exciting pace and story that drives you to turn the pages. It is rare to read a book where you learn something about a place and yet reach the final pages feeling as if you’ve been on an exhilarating exploration through a world seeped in the fantastical. It is the shady characters and fantastical creatures that make their mark on your imagination.

‘The Hundred-Towered City’ is a novel of many possibilities. It offers itself, not only as an exciting read in the classroom or at home, but it genuinely also as a study of a society’s beliefs and constitution at the turn of the twentieth century. Readers witness a Prague that is going through great (and rather haunting) change; where folklore and fact are at a crucial turning point. It falls upon the Kettle family and the reader to make sure that this wonderful city, its history, folklore and people are never forgotten.

Odd and the Frost Giants

Author: Neil Gaiman

Genre: Myths and Legends

Age Range: 7+

Theme/Subject: Gods, equality, Norse Myth

Publisher: Bloomsbury

ISBN: 9780747595380

Summary:

The winter is ending. Nobody knows why. And Odd has run away from home, even though he can barely walk and has to use a crutch. Out in the forest he encounters a bear, a fox and an eagle – three creatures with a strange story to tell. Now Odd is faced with a stranger journey than he ever imagined. A journey to save Asgard, city of the Norse Gods, from the Frost Giants who have invaded it. It’s going to take a very special kind of boy to defeat the most dangerous of all the frost giants and rescue the mighty gods. Someone cheerful and infuriatingly clever. Someone just like Odd…

Review:

Gaiman’s short story (just shy of 100 pages) was penned for World Book Day. It is a story that an under-confident Year 5 or 6 pupil could handle and enjoy on their own. I have taken pleasure in all of Gaiman’s work thus far; especially the adult Sandman series and the children’s book, Coraline (which I read to my class of Year 6 pupils this year). Gaiman’s natural writing style and his obsession with ‘story’ and its origins comes through very much in all his work.

Odd and the Frost Giants starts off quickly which is good for that reluctant reader. As well as Odd’s own journey, the tale is that of a conflict between the Norse Gods and their enemies the Frost Giants. In it, Odd assists Loki, Thor and Odin and through his wit and cunning, tries to redeem them their city from the icy clutches of the Frost Giants.

The story is written in third person and although each chapter is rather lengthy for such a small book, it flows along at a good pace. Illustrations by Mark Buckingham help to beckon and reward the reader. The story itself is Odd’s. It tells of a fatherless boy who tries to fit into his Viking life with the hindrance of a crippled leg. It shows the reader that it is the mind and our thoughts that makes us who we are.

Although nowhere near one of Gaiman’s best, it is a good tale that would work well as a short class read or as a group reading book. It is a nice introduction to Norse Mythology and for £1, a book that should probably line the shelf of every child.

City of Time (Book primarily reviewed for writeaway.org.uk )

Author: Eoin McNamee

Genre: Science Fiction

Age Range: 10 +

Theme/Subject: Families, Loss, Time-shifts,

Publisher: Harper Collins

ISBN: 9780007209798

Reviewer: Mat Tobin

Summary:

A year has passed since Owen said goodbye to Cati and relinquished his role as the Navigator, leaving the Resisters asleep on their island in time. But strange events are afoot, and both he and Cati witness extraordinary events that don’t seem quite natural. And when the sleepers cannot be awakened, she knows it is time to summon help from the Navigator once more. One thing is certain – there’s not enough time…

Review:

The second book in the ‘Time Navigator’ series sees Owen reunited with the cast from McNamee’s previous children’s novel, The Navigator. Just over 300 odd pages in size, City of Time tells the story of a young boy’s quest to stop the evil Harsh stealing time from the universe itself in order to prevent Earth’s destruction. The plot is sound and the ideas literally brimming off the pages as we re-enter McNamee’s world.

Unfortunately, I found the writing and telling of this story poor and rather jumbled: as is the author himself did not have time enough to edit and refine the piece. City of Time reads as a rather rushed story, full of bright inspirations which never quite get the time of credit they deserve. There were moments when I was hooked ( the highway scene with the dogs was excellent ) but they were overwhelmed by some poor writing and dull dialogue.

McNamee’s third-person narrative flits between multiple plot lines: from the main characters, heading to the City of Time in order to save Earth, to Owen’s mother, Wesley, Pieta and Silkie – our planet’s defenders. Along with the Harsh themselves, there were a list of enemies preventing them from achieving their goal, including Johnston (a man in league with the Harsh themselves and unfortunately, the dullest villain I have ever come across). The city itself is very well imagined and I found that I wanted to spend more time there, exploring and looking around.

One of the problems that I found with the story was that the pace failed to kick in until around page 108, when Owen, Cati and Dr. Diamond pick up Rosie (whose own story is unresolved by the end of the book). For me, Rosie was very much the life and soul of this adventure and showed me a side to McNamee’s writing that was funny, enchanting and most importantly: exciting. From this point on, the story’s pace picks up and although there are parts that still don’t read very well, the story itself and the ideas perform well enough to make the second half of the book far more enjoyable.

I came to the book with mixed feelings. When I first looked at the front cover I was rather unimpressed and felt that not a lot of effort had been put into making the author’s work attractive or alluring. Upon reading the little caption on McNamee however, whose adult work has been hailed as “one of the most outstanding pieces of Irish fiction to come along in years”, I thought that I was in for a treat.

Sadly, this was not the case. Still, within its pages I could not help feel that there beat the heart of a great idea and that the characters had the potential to be vibrant and captivating. It is difficult to recommend a book that you fail to really enjoy, but for those who like Dr. Who or even liked the idea of travelling in and on time to save the Earth, then this book could work for you.

Broken Glass

Author: Sally Grindley

Genre: Real Life

Age Range: 10 +

Theme/Subject: India, loss, families, abuse, hardship, poverty

Publisher: Bloomsbury

ISBN: 9780747586159

Summary: (Taken from the Blurb)

When two brothers find themselves homeless in the big city, things are much harder than they could ever have imagined. With the help of some other children, the brothers learn how to survive on the street. They start to work as glass collectors and soon things don’t seem so very bad – until one day Suresh realises that his younger brother isn’t coping as well as he thought. Suresh has to think very hard about how to save Sandeep, and himself, from a terrible fate.

Review:

This is the first book of Sally Grindley’s that I have read and will certainly not be the last! The author’s tale of poverty and hardship in Southern India, told through the account of two young boys, is a breath of fresh air from the consistent hard-lined Post-Potter era (not that I have anything against Harry at all). ‘Broken Glass’ is an important story for children. It illustrates life in the dark and dirty streets of India; allowing the reader to glimpse the daily life of a street-child. The city landscape is painted with a harsh and often unforgiving palette, where friendship and fortitude are all that keep you going.

Grindley’s first-person narrative is seen through the eyes of Suresh, eldest of the two boys. I found it remarkable how she made the story actually sound like a twelve year old boy, inviting us to see the India around him through tourist-like eyes. This was done cleverly, since Suresh and Sandeep run away from their parents to a part of India that they have yet to discover themselves. The brothers, after leaving home, greet us with a very broad range of characters who help breathe life into the city’s streets as well as keeping the story interesting and absorbing.

The story’s pace is calm and although 270 odd pages, the size of the text and spacing of the lines means that you find yourself comfortably making your way through the book. Nothing is rushed, which is what really endeared me to the story. Although the time-scale of the narrative takes place over months, I felt the heart of the story beat at a steady and controlled rhythm which allowed me to get into the characters and get a real sense of pace: I could clearly see the games of cricket on the wasteland. I also found that I as I read further into the book, I began tasting and smelling the country that Grindley unravels before us, such is the skill with which she paints the picture of India’s streets.

‘Broken Glass’ refers to the job that Suresh and his brother must undertake in order to collect enough money to buy food and live within the squalor of the city. Luckily, the spirit of the other street children and the sense of togetherness keeps them going. My heart very much went out to Chintu who, even in the face of great poverty, was able to smile and live an apparently happy life. I often found myself wishing, as I was coming to the closing pages of the book, that both boys would be safe and well by its end. Grindley, I feel, finds the perfect balance to her story’s end: believable and yet not too ‘Hollywood’.

I would recommend this book to any child or parent who wants to share an understanding of what the world can be like for those, perhaps less fortunate than us. It allows us a glimpse into an India that we know of and that, perhaps, children should begin to know about so that they can appreciate how lucky they are. They can also begin to become involved in issues that must never go unnoticed. I look forward to Sally’s next novel, ‘Torn Pages’ which will be published next February.